Maine Bird Hunting
Seasons Span September 28 – December 31, 2025
State Drought Monitor – Upland hunting conditions are often highly dependent upon moisture for both habitat production and bird survival.
Season Dates
- Ruffed Grouse & Bobwhite Quail: September 27, 2025 – December 31, 2025
- Pheasant: September 27, 2025 – December 31, 2025
- Woodcock: September 27, 2025 – November 18, 2025
- Common Snipe: September 2, 2025 – January 3, 2026
Required Licenses and Costs
- Resident Licenses:
- Small Game Hunting (16+): $15
- Big Game Hunting (includes small game, 16+): $26
- Archery (16+): $26
- Junior (under 16): $8
- Lifetime Hunting (65+): $8 (one-time fee)
- Non-Resident Licenses:
- Small Game Hunting (16+): $75
- Big Game Hunting (includes small game, 16+): $115
- Archery (16+): $75
- Junior (under 16): $35
- 3-Day Small Game: $47
- Additional Permits:
- Pheasant Permit: $27 (required for pheasant hunting)
- State Migratory Waterfowl Permit: $7.50 (required for waterfowl, including snipe, rails, and gallinules)
- Federal Migratory Bird Stamp: Required for hunters 16+ for migratory game birds (cost not specified in sources)
- Notes:
- Licenses can be purchased online at mefishwildlife.com or through approved agents (e.g., sporting goods shops, municipal offices).
- Hunters born after January 1, 1976, must show proof of hunter safety course completion.
- Sunday hunting is prohibited in Maine.
Daily Bag and Possession Limits
- Ruffed Grouse: 4 daily, 8 possession
- Bobwhite Quail: 4 daily, 8 possession
- Pheasant: 2 daily, 4 possession
- Woodcock: 3 daily, 9 possession
- Common Snipe: 8 daily, 24 possession
Additional Notes
- Closed Species: No hunting is allowed for spruce grouse, lynx, or cottontail rabbit.
- Wildlife Management Districts (WMDs): Seasons and limits apply statewide unless specified by WMD. Check MDIFW maps for specific boundaries.
- Regulations: Hunters must wear blaze orange during overlapping firearms seasons (e.g., deer season) and follow ethical hunting practices, including reporting harvests as required. For migratory birds, nontoxic shot is mandatory statewide.
For the most up-to-date information, consult the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) website at mefishwildlife.com or contact their office at 207-287-8000.
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Climbing for the Birds
Maurice and I punched through the ridge line at 10,500 feet mid-morning with Wyatt the black lab in tow. The massive boulder fields and talus slopes are tough terrain for a bird dog. We climbed over a small crease and arrived at a rare sight, a piece of flat ground extending 50 yards to the…
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Mud River Luggage
Aside from this luggage looking upland-ey (i.e. cool,) it’s extremely well made and durable. I’ve flown with the Rolling Duffel ($219) on hunting trips around the US and Africa, and it’s held up beautifully. It has every feature a duffel bag needs, heavy-duty nylon zipper, leather accents, wheels, extending handle, end zippered pockets, and a…
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Conservation’s Invisible Birds
As hunters, we often look to conservation organizations to protect and enhance hunting opportunities or address the critical habitat issues facing upland birds. Yet, many of us are not even members of the organizations we look to for support. For example, the nation’s largest quail organization recently announced its membership topped 15,000. This represents 1.8%…
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Planning for the 2022 Upland Season
We are on verge of another upland season. Though preliminary plans started taking shape the the final days of the 2021 season, now is the time we really begin scrutinizing the schedule of prized days afield. One of the biggest frustrations for upland travel hunting is arriving at a destination that doesn’t live up to…
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The Baseline Hike
Climbing mountains, the only way to really know how bad climbing mountains with heavy packs is gonna be. And getting the young Setter, Hawk, more familiar with the grind.
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Bird Hunting Karma Exists
The idea that what goes around comes around can be captured in the simple word Karma. Go ahead and scoff if that hocus pocus doesn’t sit well with you, but Karma isn’t magic and bird hunting karma is definitely real. I believe that in the field, if you opt for what is right, even though…
